Giving paws gives dog professionals pause

1:58 AM,
Dec. 22, 2013

Johnnie Johnson, left, a board member of the Ross County Humane Society, holds the leash of Roxanne, a 1-year-old Shepherd mix available for adoption from the Ross County Humane Society, as she greets Abby Rose, 12, during Saturday's Adoption Day at Petland.

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A puppy would surely brighten any animal-lover's Christmas, but according to the Ross County Humane Society's shelter manager, a pet is a gift that should be given careful thought and consideration or it shouldn't be given at all.

"After Christmas, we often have dogs coming in to the shelter because they weren't the right fit for the family or maybe they were too hard to train," Brittany Hardesty said. "We want the right dogs going to the right families."

Hardesty was at Petland on Saturday hoping to find forever homes for a trio of former strays ranging in age from nine months to eight years. The ...